Many beverages are sold in bulk containers in order to reduce costs for relatively high quantity users of the beverages. For example, wine is often sold in rectangular cardboard boxes typically sized to hold about three or four liters and beer is often sold in cylindrical metal cans (often referred to as “mini kegs”) typically sized to hold about five liters. These bulk containers typically have spigot or spout dispensers located near bottom edges of the containers. The relatively large sizes of these containers make them well suited for use at parties, picnics, tailgates and the like. The construction of these containers also makes them ideal for use at locations which do not permit glass bottles and/or cans such as some parks and beaches.
While these bulk containers have many advantages, they have poor insulating properties and are difficult to operate when located in conventional ice chests, coolers, and the like. As a result, there have been attempts to construct special purpose coolers and the like for these bulk containers. For example, see U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,812,054, 6,334,329, 7,137,533, and D502,360, the disclosures of which are expressly incorporated herein in their entireties by reference. While these special purpose coolers may somewhat serve their intended purpose of insulating the containers during use, they provide no protection for the spigot or spout and are useful only for the very limited purpose insulating a specific bulk beverage container. Accordingly, there is a need in the art for an improved insulated carrier for bulk beverage containers.